How it Happened
by AsteriaKimeNymar
Summary: My version of how Julian and Rickard became a thing. Requested by a close friend. Crosses over with FE6 Elibe. Major yaoi involved; don't like it, then no one's forcing you to read. Rated for underage love, attempted suicide, attempted dream rape, and 'technical' character death. All pairings are inside. Takes place during FE11. Also may or may not have spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, veeerry big story for me here. Never written this much before.

Just so you know, dialogue in italics means Eternal language. I literally made up a written form of it, but it's not like I can draw all those on here (if I was able to do stuff like that, I would've had my faces in the commentary a LONG time ago).

Pairings I'm including in here, yaoi or not, are:

JulianXRickard

MarthXRoy (Yes, I'm crossing over. Remember that my mind is a mixed mess)

CaesarXRadd

JeorgeXTomas (Might not make sense to some, but hopefully it will as the story goes on)

GordinXNorne (Only slight reference, but still involved)

And an IkeXSoren reference (...A lot of crossing between games...)

Normally, I support SedgarXWolf, but they're not included. Surprisingly.

And another thing, involving the Pokémon reference you'll see, the Poochyena's name is Mhiken. Don't want you being confused when I start using that name and haven't specified who that even is. Sorry.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

But that's enough of my ranting.

* * *

"Move right!"

Rickard did as instructed and lunged towards Julian, his rapier poised to strike.

The elder teen parried with ease and swung his own rapier, knocking the boy off balance. "Time your movements! Just running into a fight and expecting it to be over fast is reckless."

Rickard regained his balance and swung again, without much luck. "This would be a lot easier if you let me use my knives…" he muttered. He swerved around the teen and lunged forward again.

Julian moved to the side as Rickard went past, quickly sheathing his rapier and grabbing the boy's arms. While he held them behind his back with one hand, the other took the boy's rapier and placed it at his throat. "Well, there can be times when you don't have your knives, and you have to be able to use anything at your disposal." He smiled mockingly and pressed the blade closer to Rickard's throat, making the boy shrink back slightly. "Checkmate."

Rickard whimpered softly and swallowed. "Who ever said I'd be in a situation like that?" he asked tentatively, eyeing the blade, his breathing a bit ragged.

Julian looked at him pointedly. "Why don't you ask the dead Emereus that back in Aurelis?"

The boy flinched at the older man's tone. "Okay…then who ever said I'd be in a situation like that again?"

The teenage thief sighed and removed the rapier from the younger's throat. "Rickard…I'm just worried about you, what with you running off all of the time. I just…don't want you getting hurt, is all."

"We're in a war, Chief. It's not really possible to NOT get hurt at least a little." Chief was Rickard's pet name for him; he had been using it ever since he first became a Soothsire.

Julian ran a hand through his red-orange hair. "You know what I mean. As in, getting hurt in something that isn't straight combat. Now here," he handed the boy back the rapier, "get this back to the convoy so Caesar can fix it up before I give you your knives back."

"Kay."

Julian turned around to gather up the younger thief's belongings, as the boy was supposed to head back to camp first. But he didn't.

"…Hey, Julian?"

_Uh-oh._ Rickard never called him by name unless it was something serious. "Yes?" he asked, not yet turning around.

The boy shifted nervously, the rapier hilt in both hands. "Have…you ever been in love before?" he asked hesitantly after a short pause.

_Huh. Well, that's certainly unexpected._ Julian looked up in thought. Of course he had been in love before. He was going on 17; it was virtually impossible for someone his age to not have been at least once. He still was in love, and with the same person it had been for years, but he wasn't about to say who it was, at least not yet. "Uh…yeah, I guess," he murmured.

"What…what does it…feel like?"

Julian looked down, sighed, and shook his head slightly. _Where is all of this coming from all of a sudden?_ Rickard had never brought up the idea of love before…so why was he now? "It's…kind of like…just something you know. It's knowing that that person is the one you want to spend your life with. That they're someone you'd give your life trying to protect." He turned back to the boy. "Why do you ask?"

Rickard turned his head and averted his gaze, looking flustered. "Oh, uh, no-no reason. I was just wondering." He turned and started back towards the rest of the army. "I'll see you back at camp."

Julian scratched his head in confusion as the young thief left. _What was that all about?_

* * *

"Brother…"

Marth turned sharply at the sound of Rickard's voice and found him standing at the entrance of his tent, head down, blushing slightly, with his hands behind his back. The prince closed the book he was reading, stood up from his chair, and started moving towards his younger brother. "What's wrong?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"…I did something stupid," the boy said quietly, further bowing his head.

"Ric- …hm…" Marth closed the tent flap and led the younger prince over to sit on his bed, where their little Poochyena was curled up on the edge of the pillow, sleeping peacefully. "Now, tell me what's eating at you."

Rickard refused to raise his head. "…I- …mm…"

"…_Armeia. Look at me_," he said in the language of old, causing his brother to look up, confusion on his face, but sorrow still shining in his bright fire-blue eyes. The elder prince smiled and switched the language back to English. "That's better. Now, tell me."

"Why…why did you…?"

"Because it was the easiest way to get you to look up without forcing it. What, you don't like your old name?"

"No, no, it could never be that…I just don't know why you always use it, even all these millennia later."

"Well, you ARE the one who gave it to yourself this lifetime: 'Rickard Lucas Armeia Lowell'. But I am still quite partial to our first names, either way. It just reminds me of how peaceful everything was our first 2000 years."

"…Until the Ancient War made Miche start trying to destroy our souls just about every lifetime…"

"Right…until Zion decided to start helping him when his son was killed. And by the demon Miche himself sent out to do so, at that. But that's all beside the point at the moment. Tell me what's wrong. You couldn't have come here just to sulk for no reason."

"I-it's kind of about Rikha, I guess."

"Hm? How do you mean?"

"You've found Aeris again, haven't you?"

"Well, yes, but I don't quite see how-"

"Because I think I may have found a mate again."

"What?" This came as a huge shock for Marth. Rickard hadn't had a true mate for over 4000 years, and his, Rikha's, was a soul that didn't survive its first Selection. The elder prince himself had had the same mate for nearly 8000, and they, or in this life he, could easily be found through their bond. But Rickard…he had no such thing. No one even knew if it was possible to find another true mate after the first's soul was lost.

Rickard looked away again, settling his gaze on the sleeping Poochyena. "I…know it's supposedly not supposed to happen again, but…I can feel it. It's the same feeling it was with Rikha. It just has to be the truth."

"…It's Julian, isn't it?"

"Mm. And it's his first lifetime."

Marth leaned back slightly, tapping his chin. "It's a curious thing how the System seems to work. Is it just a random occurrence when a mate is created for a much older soul, or is there a specific pattern in regards to it?"

"I couldn't tell you that. Your soul's almost always in a body years longer than mine. You know how it always ends up; I'm born later but killed sooner."

"Which proves that Miche fears you more when he targets you first. You're the destructive one out of the two of us, and you can kill him much easier than I can. But I asked because of that. You're a wandering soul much longer, meaning you would know more about the creation of souls and the Selection system than I."

"No. I know just as much as you do. All I know is that I had to sit there, powerless, as Rikha…perished…" He looked back to Marth. "Brother, you know he was misselected. He wasn't supposed to be lost."

"The Selection system has its flaws. It's exactly why so many evil souls still pass."

"And why so many good don't…"

"…Are you sure Julian truly is the one, though?"

"You're saying that like I'm not able to tell."

"Well, it's just…you don't always have the best taste in mates."

"…We're really going to start this again? Just because Rikha was a little cocky and snide didn't mean he didn't know how to care about people."

"…Surely didn't seem that way to me…"

"Well, he just didn't like you. You were the one who came off as cold to him."

"Because I didn't trust him."

"Well, do you trust Julian? Because I know it's him. I just know it."

"Julian has earned my trust. He's proven his worth to me."

"Good."

"…Why did you first say that you had done something stupid?"

"I-…Because I had asked him if he had been in love before, and what it felt like."

"…So?"

"Hm?" The younger prince furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? It's a stupid thing coming from me. I mean, he had a hard time even responding."

Marth shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It should only be expected from your current persona. Does he even know who you are?"

"No. He doesn't even know I'm your brother. He's as in the dark as everyone else is." Rickard was stolen from the Altean Castle in infancy; it was unknown to everyone save for Marth that he was the missing child. The elder prince had sealed his younger brother's memory and most of his powers at birth so he couldn't be used for evil purposes or tracked down by the hunters and killed, as he knew they would be separated as children. It wasn't until 12 years later, during the War of Shadows, that the two would be reunited and the younger's memories and powers would be returned to him.

"You need to tell him," Marth said. "Or at least tell him your feelings. You're normally so bold; I'm sure your actions today will have him worried."

Rickard looked away again. "But…what if he doesn't like me back? What if…what if he rejects me?" he asked quietly, fear in his voice.

The teen thought for a moment before speaking. "…What was his answer when you asked him if he had ever been in love before?"

"He said, 'Yeah, I guess.' But that doesn't even necessarily mean he was, let alone if it was in reference to me."

Marth nodded. "I see. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't tell him. Keeping those feelings wound up inside you for too long won't be very good for you in the long run. You don't want unrequited love to be the most memorable thing about him and this life, do you?"

"I don't want rejection and heartbreak to be it either," the boy mumbled.

The elder prince sighed. "Armeia, please. Just do as I ask."

Rickard looked back to Marth. "Alright," he said quietly. "Ascerae. Good night." And with that, he stood up and left the tent.

The teen put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. _Please, just let everything turn out alright for him. Please._


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, we're back.

Has Eternal language in the last section, just so you know. Oh...and the attempted suicide, if you wanted to skip that part. And yes, the method is possible, so don't tell me I don't know what I'm writing.

The reasoning I have behind JeorgeXTomas is this: It says that Jeorge was originally imprisoned by the enemy, then escaped. However, it doesn't specify where he was held or when he escaped. And therefore you have room for imagination.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

But I'll leave you alone now.

* * *

"Rickard, move!"

The boy maneuvered his body to avoid a mage's fireball as Radd ran forward and cut the soldier down. He shook his head. "This is getting us nowhere, not with the constant surge of soldiers."

Radd turned to him. "Didn't the prince ask you to go free the captured Archanean soldiers?"

"Yes, and both Navarre and Jeorge were supposed to be helping," he answered, annoyance creeping into his voice. "But neither of them are anywhere in sight."

"Well, I think Jeorge is with Sedgar, and I have no idea where Navarre went. No one really ever does."

"Perfect. So much for the tactics from when we raided the place before," the thief muttered. He turned and started off in the direction of the dungeon. "Gotta get going. Later."

"Wait a minute! Rickard, wait up!" The myrmidon ran off after him.

"You should already know that Caesar's going to freak if you're not around."

"Well, he can deal with it. You're going to just end up getting killed if you go on your own."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

The pair reached the dungeon in record time, cutting down every enemy in their path. As they rounded the corner, Radd raised his sword on a teenage archer with green hair and a light smattering of freckles peering past the wall.

"Wha- Woah!" The teen put his bow out just in time to block the attack, though the sword bit into the iron, and he staggered back at the force of the blow, surprised at both his own weakness and the strength of someone who looked to be at least a couple years younger than him. "Geez! What is this?!" he cried, revealing a thick Aurelian accent. "If you're going to go attacking someone, you should at least make sure they're your enemy before you start swinging that sword around!"

"What?" Radd backed up slightly, but he never loosened his grip on his sword. "Who…?"

"Tomas!" a young blue-haired woman cried as she and three others ran up to the teen. She moved in front of him and stuck her lance out in Radd's direction. "Back up before my lance makes mince-meat out of you!"

"W-wait a minute," Rickard said a bit hesitantly, holding out a hand to stop her. He pointed to the archer. "Did you say his name was Tomas?"

She dropped her stance only for a moment. "And who wishes to know?"

"Easy," Radd answered. "We're with Princess Nyna. Jeorge told us about him. And the rest of you, most likely, if we can match names to people." He scanned his eyes over the group. "Midia, right?" he asked the woman.

"I- yes." Her stance dropped completely. "So the Princess truly has come?"

"Ah, no. Wait just a minute here." Tomas seemed to growl slightly. "How do you expect me to believe that after bringing up Jeorge?"

"Uhh…" Rickard cocked his head. "What's so bad about Jeorge? He kept bringing up being worried about you guys." He nodded at the archer. "You especially."

The teen crossed his arms. "Oh, sure, you really think I'm gonna believe that 'worried about me' crap when he's the reason everything happened to me after he left in the first place!"

Sadness crossed Midia's face. "Tomas…"

"Whatever. I'll see this for meself." He turned to Radd. "You said the Princess was here, though?"

Radd hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. She's allied with both Prince Marth and Prince Hardin. We're here to free the country and stop the Shadow Dragon's reign."

"Hm? Coyote's here?" He asked, his voice shifting to one of both nervousness and excitement. "What about the other Aurelian knights?"

Radd's face split into a sly grin. "Yes, they're all here: Wolf, Sedgar, Vyland, and Roshea. And Sedgar's been freaking out since he was told. Said he's got quite a few things to say to you."

"Oh boy…" The teen chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I think I already know what he's going to say. Wait a minute," he said, turning back to the boys. "That's not all of them. What about Will?"

The myrmidon cocked his head. "Uh…who?"

"Will. Short- or, at least, I think probably should still be- bright red hair, carmine eyes, red-armored cavalier on a goldish-colored horse, prefers swords over lances…you have no idea who I'm talking about, do you?"

"Nope."

Rickard scratched his head and looked away, guilt on his face. _Oh boy, how am I supposed to tell him?_

"Well, if you two are done," Midia said, coming up between the two, "I think we should be going."

The thief looked back up. "Right. We can't be stuck in the back of the army if reinforcements show up."

"Which they most likely will, considering how our past few battles have gone," Radd added, rolling his eyes.

Tomas nodded. "Time to get a move on, then."

As soon as the group made it back to the main army, Rickard started heading to where he remembered the treasury was. But before that happened…

"Radd!" Caesar strode up to them, blood still dripping off his sword, but no tears showing in his deep red clothing.

Radd started backing up slowly and laughed nervously. "O-oh, uh, Caesar."

"What have I said about running off without telling me?"

"Hm?" Tomas furrowed his brow. "Is he part Aurelian?"

"Well, I should probably go." Rickard gave the other boy a pat on the back. "Good luck with that."

"Wha-hey! Rickard! Don't just abandon me here!"

Rickard made his leave and arrived in the treasury soon after. "Hey, Chief!" he called out to Julian, who was already half-way through the chests. "You should have seen the look on Radd's face when-" He stopped short when he saw a large gash across the elder teen's arm. "W-what happened?! Why are you bleeding?!"

Julian looked up and held up a hand to calm to boy, slightly wincing from moving his arm. "Hey, it's fine. I just got clipped by a sword. It's no big deal."

"There's no way something bleeding that bad is 'no big deal'." He walked up to him and laid a hand over the wound.

"Rickard-"

"Don't try pleading. You know that doesn't work with me." The boy closed his eyes and felt the cool electric feeling of his magic flow from one person to the other, stitching the gash up in little time. He stepped back and ran a finger over where it was to inspect his work. He looked up at Julian. "Don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything."

"Well, yeah, but you know how much that ends up getting to you in the end."

The corner of his lips tugged upward before quickly settling back into a frown. He shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time. Doesn't bother me much anymore."

Julian furrowed his brow, annoyance creeping up on his face. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?"

The younger thief smirked. "Who do you think made me that way?"

He looked away and scoffed before placing a hand on the boy's head and lightly kissing his forehead. "Brat."

Rickard gasped softly from the contact before looking up at the other thief and grabbing his scarf, pulling him down to connect their lips together.

Julian hesitated only for a second before putting down his sack and pushing the boy up against the wall, pressing their bodies as close together as possible through their clothing. His tongue flicked at the little thief's lower lip before being let through, where only a short battle for dominance occurred, the elder thief winning out and exploring the warmth of the other's mouth.

Rickard was the one to break off the kiss, a thin line of saliva still connecting them. "I love you…" he whispered to his chest before hesitantly looking up to see the elder man's reaction. He reflexively tried to take a step back, seeing that Julian didn't have too nice of a look on his face. If it weren't for the solid wall directly behind him, he would've most likely been a good couple feet away by the time the teen reacted to him.

Julian grabbed the boy's wrists and held them against the wall, one on each side of his face. He moved his face close to the other's, their foreheads barely touching. "Is this…what you meant when you asked me about love before?"

The little thief swallowed before quietly saying, "…Yes."

His expression hardened before releasing Rickard's arms and turning back around. He snatched up his sack before heading for the exit of the room. "Finish up here," he said sternly before disappearing through the doorway.

"I-…" Rickard stared at where the teen had once been, the darkness swirling around in his mind, putting him on the verge of tears. He steadied his breathing and tried to close his mind as he almost blindingly set to work on the remaining chests in the treasury. As much as he hated the idea of it, thoughts still came together in his head, telling him, _How good did you really think you were for him? He doesn't want you; he never had. You were just there to make up for getting his family killed, and now that you've served your purpose, there's no other reason for him to keep you around. You're a disease; you're nothing to anyone. All you're good for is getting on their last nerves and causing trouble that you can never seem to fix. You deserve to spend the rest of your miserable little life alone, you worthless piece of trash!_

* * *

"I don't want to hear it, Jeorge!"

"Tomas, just listen to me!"

The young archer whirled around on the man as he followed him down the corridor. "Why should I?! Give me one good reason why I should listen to anything you have to say after you just up and left! And I'm not just saying this about me; you abandoned all of us to die in that rat hole by running off to frolic through the countryside like a merchant on holiday! Don't think I'm about to forgive you for that!"

Jeorge let out a frustrated grunt and made to reach for the teen's hand. "Tomas, I didn't do it just to-"

Tomas pulled his hand away and took a step back before letting out what sounded like a low growl from his throat. "You made a promise, Jeorge. You don't back down on a promise, especially to an Aurelian."

"Tomas-"

"I trusted you, with everything. I told you the things I couldn't even speak about with my own brothers, because it was too hard to look at their faces and expect them to understand. I gave you every. Little. Secret." He leaned in closer, pure resentment on his face. "I gave you my virginity."

A light blush crept up on the sniper's face. "I…"

"You what? You want to say that you're sorry for everything you put me through since you've been gone? That you never intended for any of that to happen to me or the others? That every day since you escaped, you've been on pins and needles, waiting for the day when you could come back here and set us free? …Please." He turned around and took a few steps forward before turning his head back to face the man, a sneer on his face. "Do you have any idea what they did to me? All because they thought I knew how you had gotten out and where you had gone when, in reality, I had no freakin' clue as to either of those things. You think they believed me? Not in the least bit. You could never begin to imagine what had happened to me. Torture in such a way that only the manaketes could possibly devise. I stared death in the face for weeks because of you. …I hope you're happy."

Jeorge stood still for a moment as the archer turned to walk away, letting the teen's words sink in. _Because of you…_ He lunged forward and grabbed Tomas' wrist, pushing him up against the wall with a little more force than intended, causing the boy to stifle a cry of pain. He only slightly winced before pinning the teen's arms over his head with one hand and tilting his head up with the other, lowering his own head to softly bring their lips together.

Tomas didn't even attempt to struggle. As soon as their lips met, the icy wall around his heart melted, and a few stray tears escaped his eyes. When they broke apart, his voice was barely loud enough to hear. "You…?"

"I'm sorry," Jeorge whispered, releasing his hold on the archer's arms and pressing their foreheads close together. He lightly wrapped his arms around the teen's waist and gently pulled him close. "Please, I need you to believe me. I had never intended for you to get hurt, I swear. I thought you would be safer if you had stayed. Even if the conditions were horrible there, I couldn't stand the idea of risking your life by taking you with me. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something had happened to you in the process."

Tomas slowly moved his hands up to place them on the sniper's chest. "Then why did you go in the first place?"

"…It was the princess's escape."

"What?"

"She came down, soon before she herself made her escape, with General Camus in tow. She had told me to go while the castle was in chaos. I…didn't want to, at first. Not without you. But I knew that making it out would give the opportunity to get aid from somewhere…anywhere. Please, understand. I hated leaving you behind, but I didn't want to take the chance of you being killed along with me."

"…" The teen closed his eyes and leaned in to share one small, gentle kiss. "…I believe you."

A smile rose on the man's face. "Tomas-"

"Jeorge!"

The pair quickly broke as Marth ran into view, his Poochyena trailing right behind him. Tomas quickly wiped the tears off of his cheeks as Jeorge moved towards the prince, shock and worry on his face. "Prince! What's wrong?! Has the enemy returned?!"

"No no no it's nothing like that." Marth quickly waved a hand to dismiss the idea, but his tone hadn't changed in the slightest. "But please tell me you know where Rickard is. I have to find him. Now."

The archer cocked his head. "Eh? You mean the little thief with the blue hair in a ponytail?"

"Yes, exactly!"

He stuck a thumb out behind him, over his shoulder. "Saw him go down the hallway a while ago. Seemed pretty depressed."

"Thank you," he quickly said before darting down the hallway in the direction Tomas pointed in, Mhiken trailing right behind him.

The younger teen raised an eyebrow before taking a step in the same direction. "Wonder what that's all about, exactly," he half-muttered.

Jeorge shook his head. "It's not really something we should be sticking our noses into."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you."

* * *

"Riiickaaard!" Marth quickened his pace down the hallway, desperately searching for his brother's energy reading. _He can't be, he just can't be…_

"Prrrooch!" Mhiken yipped at the frantic prince in an attempt to reassure him.

"You say that now, but you have no idea how it feels to lose someone. I am NOT about to have that happen again. _If only I could get a damn reading!_" His own darkness instability wasn't helping his hysteria at all; his language could very easily slip between the modern and Eternal speech in this state, which was not a safe thing for him to do in the least bit, lest he attract unwanted attention from the hunters.

The Poochyena whimpered softly before stopping and perking his ears up, staring down a corridor to his left. "Proo?"

Marth stopped at the loss of his partner before backtracking to where he was standing. "What…?" He focused only for a second before the younger prince's energy spiked further down the hall. His eyes shot open as he took one step forward, then the next, until he was bounding down the hall once again, Mhiken right behind.

He stopped near the dead end of the hallway where Rickard's energy was concentrated and yanked the door open, revealing a small body on the floor, facing the wall, blood splattered on his clothing, spreading to the floor around him.

"_Armeia!_" The prince reached the boy in few strides and quickly scooped him up into his arms. A shaking hand traced around the child's unconscious face, ghostly pale and stained with blood and salty tears, moving down to his arms, where clean, deep gashes were lined evenly along the entirety of his forearms.

Mhiken whimpered and sniffed at the little prince, his ears drooping in sadness as the elder cradled his baby brother's near-lifeless body, tears threatening to spill from the teen's eyes.

Marth shut his eyes and stood, not missing a beat as he took the boy's limp body fully in his arms and made long strides back the way he came. _I'll not lose you, Armeia. Not like this._


	3. Chapter 3

Meep.

Wanted to clarify something from the last chapter. If you didn't know who Will was, he was a character I made up in my first Fire Emblem story as someone who grew up with the Aurelians (That was also when I first made Sedgar and Tomas brothers, but you probably already figured that out by now). Point being is that he 'died' during Macedon's original invasion protecting Hardin from a stray arrow. 'Course, if the game followed the way I wanted it to, he'd...wait. Spoilers. Actually, I honestly don't even have the entirety of that story put together just yet. *sweatdrop*

Anyways, more Eternal speech (You probably already knew that, but just in case). And proof that you should never, and I mean NEVER, piss off my version of Marth.

And the sword's not Falchion. Thought I'd clarify that, too.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

I'll stop bugging you. For now.

* * *

"Rickard? Can you hear me?"

"Mm…?"

"Come on, wake up."

"Oh, thank the gods for their mercy on this child!"

Rickard's eyes slowly opened to see Marth sitting next to his bed, Lena in prayer right behind him, and little Mhiken curled up next to his face.

A wide, relieved smile rose on the elder prince's face, who put a hand over the boy's forehead. "Hey…You alright?"

He gave a small smile, managing to give a soft reply. "_My brother…_"

"_Come now, answer the question. How are you feeling?_"

His smile faded. "_Broken._"

Marth's expression quickly darkened. _"__Armeia…What did you tell him?_"

"_Only that I loved him._"

"_And…?_"

"_…__He looked at me like he couldn't believe what I had just said._"

"_In a bad way?_"

"_In the worst possible way._"

"_Armeia…_"

Mhiken whimpered and snuggled closer to the little prince, softly licking his cheek.

Lena stood back in confusion and awe, watching the pair's conversation. She had never heard the Eternal language before. In fact, very few people knew it anymore; it hadn't been officially used in over 7000 years, when it was replaced by the ancient language used in modern-day spells. It was a complete giveaway to hunters that the speakers were either Eternals or devout followers of them.

"Lena-" Julian stopped short in the doorway upon seeing the younger thief shrink under the covers in his presence. "Rickard…?"

A growl rose in Marth's throat as his face turned into a scowl, and he stood up and walked towards the elder thief, tensed. "Get over here." He grabbed the elder teen's shoulder and dragged him out into the hallway, slamming the door right behind him.

Lena flinched at the severity of the prince's actions. "What…?" She turned to Rickard to find him sound asleep under the covers, holding Mhiken in his arms like a little girl would a stuffed animal, water dotting the corners of his eyes. The bishop sighed lightly and sat down on the edge of the bed, running a few fingers through the boy's bright blue locks, content.

Julian, however, wasn't in such peaceful circumstances.

Marth slammed the thief against the wall, pinning him under his arm, threatening to crush his windpipe. "What the HELL was all of that about?!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Julian struggled to breathe under the younger teen's crushing grip. "What…happened to-"

"You should very well know what happened to him. YOU caused it!"

"W-what?"

Marth growled and threw the thief to the side, who slid across the floor and reopened the gash Rickard had repaired not even an hour and a half before. "Fight me."

Julian staggered to his feet and pressed the palm of his hand against the cut to slow the bleeding, wincing at the contact. He blinked at the prince in shock. "What?"

"You heard me_. Fight me!_" The younger teen snapped his fingers, and a longsword very similar to his late father's blade created itself in his hand. "_You don't know who I am. I am beyond a level you could ever dare to reach._" He lifted his blade up and pointed it straight at the other teen's heart. "_I am Ascerae Lushian Dominec Sabre, son of creation and destruction._" His eyes narrowed, shining like deep blue daggers ready to pierce through anything to reach their target. "_You won't get by me. Prepare yourself!_" At the last word he shot forward with such a force it cracked open the floorboards beneath his feet.

Julian's eyes widened in terror as he fumbled for his rapier hilt, unsheathing it with barely enough time to block the oncoming attack. He was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow and sent skidding back across the floor a few feet, where his blood smeared across the boards. He shakily collected himself and shot up to his feet to block the next downward slash of the prince, his knees bending in an attempt to keep himself upright without breakage. And so it went for the next swing. And the next. Each block was closer and closer to a miss, the thief's arm growing increasingly numb against the enraged prince's onslaught.

Until a blow from the younger teen sent his rapier flying back from his hand, shattering on the floor behind him. From there, one swing was all it would take for him to be dying on the floor. Julian shut his eyes and turned his head away, waiting for the blow that would end him. But it never came. He opened one eye, then the other, and stared in shock at Rickard, only half dressed with his forearms tightly bandaged, holding the prince back in front of him.

"_What are you doing?!_" Marth cried out to his brother, who was standing between him and his target.

"_Calm yourself, brother,_" Rickard said quietly, refusing to move from his position. "_You're letting Spirit take control of your mind._" He let out a shaky breath. "Killing him isn't going to make things any better. Your sensible side knows that."

"Rickard, what are you- Oh!" Lena gasped at the scene in front of her. "What happened out here?!"

"I'm only even half following all of this myself," Julian panted out, collapsing to his knees with staggered and heavy breathing.

The elder prince calmed partially and asked the younger, "_How did you notice the fight?_"

Rickard gave a light smirk. "_Your barriers may keep out mortals and gods alike, but it can't keep out the little brother you didn't think of blocking from._"

Marth was caught off guard for a moment before giving a chuckle and ruffling the boy's hair. "I guess that's the truth."

The younger prince raised an eyebrow. "So you've finally calmed down enough now to speak English again?"

He sighed lightly. "Yes, enough." His eyes flashed as he looked to the sword in his hand; it shined momentarily before disappearing from his grip. He looked back to his brother. "You should go back to bed."

"I'll be fine for a moment." Rickard turned around and approached Julian, Lena backing up right after healing the scrapes off of the elder thief. The boy stopped right in front of him, his eyes narrowing, and, in one swift motion, slapped the teen hard enough to knock him into the wall and have the sound echo down the corridor. He said nothing as he walked back into his room, picking up Mhiken and shutting and locking the door right behind him.

Marth glared at the elder teen before sighing and walking in the opposite direction down the hallway. "I've business to take care of. If you'll excuse me, Sister Lena."

Lena blinked once at the prince, then at the door, then looked back at Julian. "W-what just-"

"Please don't ask," Julian groaned, rubbing his cheek. "Because I'm a little lost here myself."


	4. Chapter 4

Yaaay, I'm halfway there!

Elibe clarification: What I'm trying to do here is that Marth, Roy, Lilina, Wolt, Merric, and Elice grew up together. They didn't always see each other, considering they were on two different continents, but they met pretty often. If this makes no sense to some, it's because my fanfiction world isn't really supposed to make any sense.

If I have something wrong with the VA spirit reference, let me know. I know one part's probably wrong, but I want to see if there's anything else.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

Okay, I'm done yapping.

* * *

"Those two already have so many problems with each other."

Rickard tilted his head up at Radd. "Astram and Wolf? Yeah. But we ARE talking Archanea's strongest soldier vs. Aurelis' strongest soldier here. There's bound to be some sort of rivalry or tension between them."

"Yeah, I guess." The newly-promoted swordmaster sat fully upright and stared at the aforementioned pair, already having what seemed like the hundredth dispute since the hero had joined the League not even two weeks before. "I'm actually a little glad you added 'soldier' at the end, 'cause I'm pretty sure there are people here in the army who match up to him and aren't soldiers."

The thief smirked at his friend. "I know you're only referring to Caesar. And you do have reason for it, considering he was fighting Astram full-force with a Devil Axe. And winning." He poked the younger boy's cheek, his smirk turning into a devilish grin. "Are you sure your relationship is still just 'teacher and student'?"

A bright red blush broke out on Radd's face as soon as the words left the other boy's mouth. He looked at him and violently shook his head. "What?! N-no! I-I mean yes! I-…" He buried his face into his lap and entangled his fingers into his hair, letting out a long, quiet groan. "Just shoot me now."

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Rickard laughed and slapped the swordmaster's back. "I knew you'd end up giving it to him before anyone else."

"What, no!" he said quickly, looking back up to face the elder boy. "None of that's happened."

The thief immediately calmed down. "Eh? You're still a virgin?"

Saying the V-word only helped to deepen the blush on Radd's face. "Technically…"

"What do you mean by that, 'technically'?" Rickard leaned in to him. "You mean no actual sex, then?"

"Riight…"

"But there was something else."

The younger boy looked back down. "I'm not a kiss-and-tell, Rickard. I'm not just freely giving that kind of information away."

Rickard gave a small pout before rolling his eyes. "Oh, fine. I shouldn't be prying into your love life like that."

"About that…" Radd nervously drew circles on his pant leg. "I know it's really none of my business, but…" He looked back up with worry on his face. "…what…happened between you and Julian, exactly? You've refused to even make eye contact with him ever since we retook the Archanean palace a few weeks ago."

The little thief hesitated before letting out a sigh, closing his eyes and looking down. "It's…personal."

"You mean like…love personal?"

He nodded solemnly. "But…it was clear his feelings weren't the same. I…"

"Rickard…" Radd placed a hand on the elder boy's shoulder, causing him to look up at him. "Don't treat this like it's the end of the world. If he's going to be like that, then let him. You deserve better than that."

Rickard's eyes widened slightly. "I…"

"Don't worry about him. You're just going to end up bringing yourself down if you do. Alright?"

A small smile rose on the elder boy's face. "What's with you being the motivator all of a sudden? That's normally my job."

Radd smirked. "Well, when you can't do it, someone has to, right?"

"Ha, right," he said, lightly punching the other boy's arm.

"Get ready to march!"

The two looked up at the call, then back at each other, before sharing a smile and standing to follow the army in the move to reclaim the lost country of Altea.

* * *

"Where's…? …Roshea!"

"Hm?" The young knight turned at the sound of Rickard's voice to see him running up to his horse in the heat of battle. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Radd anywhere?" Rickard asked, glancing around the field. "I can't find him at all."

Roshea tapped his chin. "I believe he was with the group that went in the direction of the prison. Why do you ask?"

The thief looked in the direction he had said, his face creased with worry. "Something just doesn't feel right."

"You felt it too, then?"

The elder boy looked back to the cavalier and furrowed his brow. "Just what are you feeling, exactly?"

Roshea looked up. "It's not really something specific. It's moreso…dread, pain, sadness…it just feels like something bad is going to happen." He looked back down in the direction of the prison. "…And that's where it's coming from."

Rickard's head turned back to that direction, his expression slowly turning to one of panic. He took one step, then another, which quickly turned into a jog towards where Radd was supposed to be.

"Wha- Rickard!" Roshea called out. "You can't just-"

"If anyone asks where I am, tell them that's where!" _The psychic's always right, even when he doesn't know what he is. Just please tell me I can make it in time…_

* * *

"You."

Julian stopped at Radd's voice and looked to see the boy approaching him after finishing off a dracoknight, blood dripping from his sword. He sighed and rolled his eyes before sheathing his rapier and giving him one of his you're-really-trying-my-patience looks. "What do you want already? You've been trying to talk to me since this battle started."

Radd gave him a hard look. "You should very well know what I want."

Realization dawned on the teen's face before it quickly settled into a scowl. "Did Rickard tell you to do this? Because I'm not-"

"He didn't tell me to do anything," the swordmaster said harshly, cutting him off. "In fact, I'm pretty sure me talking to you is the last thing he wants. But I'm tired of him constantly being miserable because of you."

"Because of me? What did I ever do to-"

"He LOVES you. Haven't you realized that by now? And you went and completely and utterly denied his feelings and shoved him away, not even considering how it would affect him."

Julian closed his eyes and looked away. "You're children. You're too young. You shouldn't know what love even is."

"Well, it's a cruel world, in case you haven't noticed. Children are forced to learn these things years before the adults think we're ready for them." He shook his head and scoffed. "Hell, I had no idea what any form of love felt like for years. My mother was a drunk; even when she was sober she wanted nothing to do with me." His expression turned hard again, his carmine eyes shimmering in sadness. "She left me to die when I was six because she didn't want me turning out like my father- a skilled mercenary. If it weren't for Caesar, I probably WOULD have been dead by now. …And I very well know it's the same case with you and Rickard. I know what's happened between you two. So how can you just go and completely deny that he has legitimate non-familial feelings for you?"

The thief raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm very surprised you even know what any of those words mean."

"You're dodging the question."

"I-" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, looking away. "I'm not worth it, alright? That boy is more precious to me than you think he is. But he doesn't deserve someone like me. He's way too special to be spending the rest of his life in back alleys. He's worth far more than that."

Radd's expression softened. "So it's not that you don't accept his feelings; it's that you don't feel worthy of them."

"Exactly."

"Then why push him away?"

"…Because I don't want him getting so attached to where it'll be impossible for him to find love anywhere else. I want him to have the opportunity to see what the world's all about before he just goes and settles down with someone."

He nodded slowly. "I see. It might be a little too late for that, though."

The teen looked back. "What do you-"

"Julian!"

The two turned to Hardin, who motioned for the thief to join him at the prison door. Julian took as step forward and nodded back at Radd. "We'll finish this conversation when we're done here."

Radd sighed. "Alright, alright."

The thief stepped up to the door as the Aurelian prince stepped back and motioned for Vyland and Tomas to do the same, weapons still at the ready. Julian knelt down and was about to work on the lock when the door swung open and knocked him back. A hero shot out and ran towards the teen, meaning to take his life in one swing.

The knights, both un-mounted, moved to intercept the hero before any damage could be done; Tomas quickly readied an arrow, taken back at first by the enemy's ambush. But Radd was the only one even remotely fast enough to be able to reach in time, and even he wouldn't be able to stop the swing from contacting with the thief. Unless.

He sheathed his sword and darted for the teen, pushing him out of the way just as the swing came down, cutting at his temple and putting a deep gash in the right side of his chest.

Julian fell with the boy in his arms, landing with his body in a stance to keep the next blow on himself. He closed his eyes and braced for the blow, but a figure shot past and cut the hero in two, landing behind the pair. The thief looked back to see a teenage boy with bright red hair in blue armor and cape that only a noble would wear sheathing his sword to a scabbard on his lower back, then forward to see a blunette girl in red mage robes and a blue-garbed teenage archer with yellow-green hair on the ground, the Aurelians standing around in shock.

The archer groaned as he pushed himself onto his knees, rubbing his head. "Lord Roy…what was all of that…wuh?!" His eyes widened at seeing Radd and Julian in front of him, quickly looking around to see the other three surrounding him and the girl. "Oh boy…"

The mage gasped upon seeing the swordmaster, quickly looking to the lord. "Roy! Get-"

"Marth? Already have," he said, turning to face the others. "He's on his way with Merric and a healer."

"One moment here," Hardin said, waving a hand. "What do you know of those two, exactly?"

As the group made an attempt to explain themselves to the Aurelians, Julian looked down to Radd and shook him slightly. "Are you crazy?! What did you think you were doing?!"

"Wasn't it…obvious?" Despite the pain, the boy managed a small smile, blood running down the corners of his mouth. "I was saving…the man my best friend loves." His smile disappeared as he cringed, struggling to breathe.

"Don't talk," Julian said quickly. "You're just going to kill yourself like that."

"No. You have…to hear this. Besides, I'm…dead anyways…

"You have…to tell him," the boy said quietly. "Tell him everything. You can't…do this to him. If you really…want him to be happy…then don't push him away…anymore. Let him know…the truth. If you don't, then…you'll both be miserable…and this would've been…for…nothing…"

Julian grabbed the boy's shoulder. "Hold on! You're not dying here!"

A smile resurfaced on Radd's face. "No…I'm done…Just…tell Caesar I'm sorry…for…leaving him alone…." The boy let out one last breath as his eyes closed and his body went limp, his head resting against the thief's chest.

Salt stung at Julian's eyes as he stared at the boy's bloodied face, reminding him so much of the past. He turned his head at the sound of a muffled sob to see the mage crying into the lordling's shoulder, the teen's fire-blue eyes shining in sadness and regret.

"Damn it…" Tomas softly cursed, his knuckles white against his bow. "Why did I have to hesitate…?"

"Natural reflex," Vyland said just as softly, running a hand through his hair. "Just how are we supposed to tell Caesar this, exactly?"

Hardin crossed his arms and paused before answering. "It doesn't matter how. We'll have to either way. And he isn't the only one we have to worry about. Radd meant something to far more people than just him."

"If we were here sooner…" the anonymous archer pondered, looking to Roy. "Or maybe if we hadn't tried to stop you from coming in the first place…you would've been here with more than enough time."

The lordling remained silent for a moment, staring at the swordmaster. "…That was me five years ago. But I had Marth then. Now…there's no one…"

"Oh…why did this have to happen…?" The blunette asked shakily, her words muffled against the other teen's shoulder.

Julian let out a shaky breath before turning at the sound of movement behind him, eyes widening slightly. "Rickard…"

The little thief stood for a moment, taking in the scene, the others looking up at him with both sadness and surprise on their faces. He looked down at Radd's limp body and took quiet, hesitant steps toward him, kneeling down next to him and Julian. He studied the younger boy's face, tears looking to spring from his eyes, before laying a surprisingly calm hand over the center of the redhead's chest and closing his own eyes.

Julian stared at him a moment before realizing what the boy was trying to do. "Rickard, he's dead. You can't-"

"Shut up," Rickard snapped, keeping his eyes closed. He let his magic flow full force into the dead boy, stitching up his wounds.

"…Spirit…" Roy said quietly, somewhat amazed.

The mage cocked her head at him. "Y-you mean like what Marth has?" she asked, to which he responded by nodding slightly.

"'Spirit'?" Hardin took a step towards them, apprehensive. "What is that? And how would Marth have it?"

The lordling hesitated for a moment, his eyes closed, before reopening them. "It's a form of elemental magic that comes straight from your own mind and…well, spirit. It can come in several forms: healing, reading auras, visiting someone in their dreams, making someone see and feel something that's not really there, moving objects, super compulsion…It's incredible, really. But…"

Vyland crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "'But'…?"

Roy let out a breath. "But it has a cost. A bad cost. It wears you down, physically and mentally; it's nowhere near uncommon for Spirit-users to eventually go insane. The side effects are more subtle, at first- just exhaustion after use, mainly, - but they get far worse the more it's used: shaking, mood swings, night terrors…eventually there comes a time when your mind just can't handle stress combined with the darkness. That's when the cutting starts."

Julian's eyes widened. "That's why Rickard does it…?" he asked softly.

The younger teen nodded. "Yeah. It's why anyone with normal depression does it. The physical pain distracts them from the mental pain. Except this isn't natural depression. It's Spirit-induced. I mean, Marth knows how to control himself, but…others aren't so lucky. And most don't have bondmates like he does me."

The archer cocked his head. "This is the first I've heard of something like that."

"Wolt, remember how they said they can see in each other's minds?" the girl asked.

"Yeah…what about it, Lady Lilina?"

"Well, I'm actually just guessing, but I think that's what it has to do with." Lilina looked to Roy. "Am I right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, kind of."

"Wait, what?" Tomas held up a hand. "'See in each other's minds'…?"

"Well, it's different for us than it is for most bondmates," Roy answered. "In a majority of cases, the other person can see in the Spirit-user's mind. It doesn't work the other way. But in the case between Marth and me, the connection is both ways. It's how we can communicate, even if we're on completely different continents."

"That's crazy…" Julian said. He quickly looked to Rickard when he felt Radd stir in his arms. "How-?!"

"And as for how the bond forms…" Roy continued; his expression hardened. "…The Spirit-user has to bring the other person back from the grave."

That gave a unified gasp from the group, who all looked to see Radd, all traces of blood and injury removed from his body, stir and open his eyes, the color returning to his face. He hesitantly sat up, blinking a few times at his body, before turning to Rickard on his right, eyes wide. "How did you…?"

Rickard gave a tired smile before collapsing to the side, where his head was caught by a blue-gloved hand, leading up to Marth, who, with a small smile, lifted the boy into his arms. He nodded to the swordmaster. "Good to see you're still with us, Radd."

Radd blinked before nodding hesitantly. "Y-yeah."

"That's…impossible…" Lena stared in awe at the little thief.

Merric had an equally amazed expression, all traces of his cockiness nonexistent. "Bringing someone back from the dead…"

Marth chuckled, startling them from their trance. "Come now, Merric, you of all people very well know it's not impossible." The Altean prince looked at Roy. "After all, remember what happened in Ostia five years ago."

"Eh? You mean how you and Roy were found out cold near the castle with that dead guy that looked like a professionally trained soldier near you?"

He nodded. "Close to the same thing that happened today happened then. It's why I sent Lilina off to fetch Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector. I was trying to keep it all secret, but given the current circumstances, it might be better to let it out after all."

"Circumstances…?" Roy slowly cocked his head before his eyes widened in shock. "Wha-?! You're serious?!"

"Yes, I'm serious. Why wouldn't I be?"

His expression turned harsh as he stomped a few steps towards the blunet. "Why have you been keeping this from me this whole time?!"

Marth's face turned serious. "Because you've a mouth that doesn't always know how to keep shut when it needs to."

Roy stopped short and let out a sigh. "Alright, alright, I got it. I won't say anything. You know I can keep secrets when it really means something."

"Let's see how well you keep to that." The Altean prince turned to Hardin. "And I think someone should go help our friend that's stuck in the prison at the moment. Fighting the other hero that was part of the prison guard."

"What?!" Hardin jerked his head into the doorway, where two figures were clashing swords inside, one given to be part of the enemy, while the other's identity was unknown. He unstrapped his lance and motioned to Vyland and Tomas. "Time to get moving, both of you!"

Vyland nodded sharply and took off after the hero, lance out. "Right!"

"Hey, I'm supposed to be staying out of the thick of things, remember?" Tomas cried out.

"That doesn't mean you can't move! Now get going!"

"I'm going, I'm going!"

Marth sighed. "This is the last time I'm sending a group off without a healer. I'll have to discuss that with Malledus and Roshea-" He turned back at the sound of horse hooves. "Ah, speak of the devil. Roshea!"

The cavalier slowed his horse to a stop in front of the prince. "What happened to…? I told him not to run off, but…"

"Don't worry about that. In reality," Marth glanced at Radd, "him falling out of line proved to be far more beneficial than detrimental in the end. Now here," he lifted Rickard up to help Roshea get the little thief into the saddle in front of him, "I want you to take him to the back lines. And don't worry about injuries. All he needs now is rest."

Roshea nodded as he turned his horse away. "Of course, Prince."

Marth turned back to the group as Roshea set off. "Now then, I think it's time we kept moving. Don't you?"

"Marth…" Lilina ran up and threw her arms around his neck. "You really are alright…"

Marth returned the embrace. "Of course, Lilina. I wouldn't be dying during a time like this, I assure you. …It is good seeing you again, you know."

"What about me?" Merric held his arms out. "What am I, chopped liver?"

The female mage giggled and hugged him. "Never, Merric."

"Long time no see, Prince, Lord Merric." Wolt said, walking up to the pair. "It's been awhile."

The elder teen nodded. "Quite. But, Wolt?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't get all formal with us, now. You know there's no need for that."

"Oh, please." Lilina broke from Merric and put her hands on her hips. "He refuses to listen to that when Roy and I tell him; what makes you think he'll listen to it with you?"

Speaking of Roy, he was still in the same spot as before, gaping at the blunet. He pointed an accusing finger at him. "What did you do?! You scurvy traitor!"

Marth cocked his head at the younger teen. "What are you talking about?" he asked, adding a bit of a laugh at the end, full-knowing what his response would be.

"You grew! Too tall!"

Merric snorted at the response; Lilina scoffed, and Wolt tilted his head at him and gave him a look like he was crazy. Marth chuckled and shook his head. "And here I expected you to make sense. Typical Roy."

"Hey, this is pretty important, thank you!"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me!"

Lilina sighed and shook her head. "Roy's just jealous because he's scrawny."

"Am not!"

"You're even shorter than me!"

Roy tried to argue for a moment, but then slumped his shoulders, defeated. "…Meanie."

Radd, still sitting on the ground, blinked at the engagement a few times before looking up at Julian and Lena, who were chatting quietly about a foot away. "So, um, how much did I miss, exactly?"

"Oh, a lot," Julian answered, emphasizing 'lot'. "As in, a whole explanation of Rickard's magic, lot."

"…Woah." He blinked again, then pointed a finger at the thief. "I meant it, though; you better tell him."

The teen nodded after a pause. "Right…"


	5. Chapter 5

Meep.

Little Ricky's more of a badass than people give him credit for. Just saying. He just has spirit problems...

As for why his name is Rickard Lucas, that's a veeeery long story. Basically, his birth name was Lucas Armeia Lowell, but he became Rickard when he was saved as a child by Julian. Other parts of his childhood can literally be put into one big story, but I doubt I'll be getting to that anytime soon.

Other clarifications I'll do in the next chapter because I've probably spoiled enough in this story as is.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

...I'm gonna keep putting that. It's really important to me.

But I'll stop complaining until later.

* * *

"What?!" Roy cried. "What do you mean you're not going to let us in?!"

"Marth, don't be ridiculous," Minerva said. "You're not going after a manakete all on your own."

"I never said I'd be going alone." Marth turned to the army. "But this is a fight for Altea. I shouldn't be dragging anyone else into our matters, yet I have anyways. I'm not doing that anymore. Only Alteans are coming with me."

"That makes nine, including you." Lilina had a look of pure concern on her face. "And no healer. Can you really handle it?"

"And remember that the last several times we went against manaketes, they were only taken down because Navarre and Bantu were involved," Caeda added.

"Actually," Marth corrected, "There are ten."

Wolt's eyes widened slightly. "You better not be including Malledus in that count."

"What? No. He's not the one I'm referring to."

"But…" The blunette mage gave him a quizzical look as she counted the Alteans out on her fingers. "You, Merric, Jagen, Cain, Abel, Draug, Gordin, Norne, Arran, and…? Who are you talking about?"

The Altean prince looked into the crowd. "Rickard?"

The group had mixed reactions as the little thief stepped forward. "Marth…" he started quietly.

"You know it's going to come out eventually. What better time than now?"

Rickard smiled shyly and nodded his head. "Right."

Marth smiled and motioned for the rest of the Alteans. "Shall we, then?" Before heading in, he took one last look back and winked at Roy. _You know what to do._

A devious grin appeared on the lordling's face as he nodded to his bondmate. _Of course._

As the door closed behind them, Roy snapped his fingers, making the door as if an invisible wall, allowing the rest to see the confrontation within, but not the other way around.

Xane crossed his arms and smirked. "This is going to be interesting…"

Morzas glared at the boy from his seat upon the Altean throne. "So the spawn has returned for the slaughter?"

Marth scowled. "You won't be thinking that way for long. I didn't come back here expecting to fall. Not after everything my people have been through."

"How quaint." His mouth split into an evil smile. "Tell me, boy: do you know just what has become of your sister and mother?"

"…Enlighten me."

"You're quite lucky; Gharnef wanted your sister for some strange reason. If it weren't for him, your family would have been snuffed out entirely."

Realization dawned on him, and he moved for his sword, rage burning in his eyes. "You son of a-"

"Well, that isn't very princely language. I suppose you deserve a little punishment for that." He lifted his arm above his head, a purple dragonstone in hand. "Unfortunately for you, I'm nothing like the fools you've faced in the past. Good luck trying to have your little mage attack me."

Merric tightened his grip on Excalibur. "What are you talking about?"

"Hm. Mage dragon," Xane noted, rubbing his chin. "Well, Merric's just about useless in this situation, isn't he?"

Caeda cocked her head. "Mage dragon?"

"It's a special form. One you don't see very often anywhere outside Dolhr. They're still physical-based, but…"

"Magic doesn't affect them in the least bit," Marth finished from inside the throne room. He glanced at Merric. "That's not the reason why you're in here, though."

"Eh? Then why am I here?"

The Altean prince looked back to Morzas. "Because he's not alone."

And, as if on cue, an arrow shot forth from behind the manakete, aimed straight for Marth. The blunet, in one swift stroke, created the longsword in his hand and cleaved the arrow in two. Long-ways.

Cain's eyes widened. "Sire-" He quickly turned around and drew his sword to meet that of a hero right behind him.

Morzas grinned madly at the engagement between the Altean soldiers and his men as the light from his magestone enveloped him, transforming him into a large, slender, purple-scaled dragon. His beady red eyes stared down at the prince, his maw still split into his wide, fanged smile. "So the spawn thinks he can fight. Let's see just how well you can defend your people, then."

Marth tensed and looked to exactly where the dragon was aiming before darting for his enemy's target- Gordin.

The little archer had just let an arrow fly when he turned his head to see the mage dragon's purple flame heading straight for him. It was his first time actually seeing the attack of a dragon that wasn't Bantu; he took a small step back before standing glued in place, believing that if Bantu rarely missed a well-trained target, there was no way he was going to avoid an attack from a dragon put in control by the Shadow Dragon himself.

But he didn't know what his liege could do.

Marth reached the boy right before the attack made contact. He stood in front of him and raised his sword up in front of his face; the sword glowed right as the flames engulfed the pair.

The Altean soldiers stared at the scene in horror; Norne just about dropped her bow, her mind almost completely stopping upon seeing her crush gone up in flames. Or so she thought.

Rickard took advantage of the situation to grab the female archer's bow and aim an arrow for the dragon's left eye. He tapped the arrow tip, making it glow faintly with his magic, before letting it fly, the tip burying itself right under Morzas' eye.

The little thief smirked as he snapped his fingers. Which made the arrow blow the dragon's eye up.

Lena covered her hand with her mouth, stifling a cry of horror. Julian's jaw dropped at Rickard's abilities. Radd was clinging to Caesar, talking to him about just how "awesome" that was as if the hero hadn't seen it happen. Xane and Roy were loudly musing about how "Rickard completely wrecked that dragon" to Wolt and the other royals/nobles, most of whom were amazed by and gaping at the scene just as Julian and most other people were. But Rickard wasn't the only one their reactions were for.

Morzas howled in pain and stepped back, his foot dangerously close to smashing the throne to pieces. "Who…WHO-" He moved the gaze of his remaining eye to where he thought he had just fried Marth and Gordin, his eye going wide in pure disbelief and alarm. "HOW-?!"

The Altean prince lowered his sword, its glow fading, his expression a pure glare at the dragon before him. Gordin shakily fell to his knees and stared at his liege, his eyes looking ready to pop out of his head, they were so wide.

Norne dropped the bow Rickard had given back to her and ran for the other archer, dropping to the floor next to him and throwing her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

Rickard moved for the dragon as he was occupied with the complete shock of someone coming out of his head-on attack completely unscathed, jumping up on his tail and quickly climbing up his back.

Lilina put her hands over her mouth and leaned close to Roy, who had completely calmed down and was now watching attentively with a hard, serious glare. "What is he doing…?"

"You'll see," was all the lordling had to say.

Morzas hadn't notice the little thief on him until the boy was on his head and leaning over to look in his eye, an impish grin on his face. The dragon scowled and roared at the boy, shaking his head furiously in an attempt to buck him off. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BOY?!"

Rickard held his grip and raised a hand, building up a charge. He smirked and said at a volume only the dragon could hear, "Rickard Lucas Armeia Lowell, 'spawn' of Anri," before slamming his hand into the mage dragon's skull and sending the energy in the form of a ticking time bomb into his brain. The little thief jumped off his head as soon as the attack detonated, sending him flying forward and into Marth, covered in dragon blood and sending the pair skidding back across the floor and past the two archers, who were in a tight embrace.

The elder blunet released the lock on the throne room door as he pushed his little brother off and waved a hand over his longsword, letting it disappear once more. He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "I should have known you'd end up doing something like that," he said.

Rickard shrugged. "It's just how I am. I'm not changing anytime soon, whether you want me to or not."

"I wouldn't ask for you to change. Not even if the world's burning down because of it."

* * *

"Rickard!"

The little prince turned at the sound of Julian's voice, a blank expression on his face. He had just finished revealing his identity as prince to the people of Altea and revived several dozen innocent civilians slaughtered during Dolhr's occupation through magic amplification with his violin- he did NOT want to have to be bothered by THIS guy, or anyone, really, until he got a good deal of sleep. "What."

"Why did you never tell me you were a prince? I mean, before any of this even happened with us, you knew, right? So why didn't you tell me?"

Rickard shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't know how to go about it, I guess. I was going to, but after Archanea, I never saw the need to."

Julian stared at the boy in disbelief. "How can you just be so nonchalant about this, like nothing ever happened?"

"That was how you were, so why can't I do the same?" He turned away and continued walking down the hall. "Don't bother me."

"I-" The teen struggled to find something to say before just catching up to the boy and grabbing his wrist. He pushed him against the wall and kissed him, pressing their bodies close.

Rickard growled and bit down on the elder thief's lip, drawing blood out. He pushed him away and took a defensive stand, reaching for his knives. "The HELL is wrong with you?!"

Julian put a hand to his lip and pulled it away, eyes wide at the blood, then looked up at the princeling with the same expression. "What was-"

"Stay away from me. You have no right to be anywhere even remotely close to me."

"Bu-…Did Radd not tell you anything?"

"…It's not as if I've seen him much since we entered the castle." His eyes softened only slightly. "Why? What was he supposed to tell me?"

The elder thief ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, it's moreso that he told me to tell you myself, but I didn't really expect you to want to listen after everything that's happened."

The boy paused for a moment. "…I'm listening."

"You don't…know why I was pushing you away before. It's nowhere near what you think."

"How would you know what I think?"

"Because I KNOW you, Rickard." Julian dared to take a step forward and lightly brush his fingers over the other thief's hand. "I know that if someone treats you harshly, you think that they're just another person who doesn't care. That they want nothing to do with you because you don't mean anything to them. That's not why I acted the way I did. I care about you, really. But…"

"…But it's not the same way I feel," Rickard said hesitantly in a small voice, dropping his stance and looking down at his feet.

"I never said that." The teen tilted the boy's chin up to look in his eyes and gave a small smile. "Besides, would I have kissed you both then and now if I didn't feel that way?"

"…No." The little prince leaned up and softly kissed him, putting his hands on the elder thief's chest. "…Then why?" he asked quietly after they broke.

"…You being a prince just proves my point even more."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"You don't deserve someone like me. You're too special. Too important. There's no place for me with you. …There never really was."

"Don't- don't say that!" Rickard backed up against the wall, his eyes slightly glazing over as the darkness returned to his mind. "That could never be the case, and you know it! You're just saying things! You-"

"Rickard." Julian walked back up to the blunet and took his head in his hands, making him look up at him. "I mean it. I'm not worth it. There's so much in your life you could do. So much you could achieve. And you're not going to get there if you're with me. I'll just end up bringing you down." He placed one last kiss on the boy's forehead before stepping back and making to walk back down the hall. "…Goodbye."

"No! Don't-" The little prince put a hand out as if to reach for the departing teen, then collapsed onto the ground, overcome by sobs. "Don't…leave me…alone…"


	6. Chapter 6

Meep.

I'm just putting this out there, I have NO idea where the dream dialogue came from. I told myself I was never writing anything like that again, yet I did anyways...

Meaning the beginning dialogue is a dream, not Eternal speech. I don't believe there's anymore left in this story. Could be wrong about the last chapter, but I know there isn't any in this one.

Oh, right. Clarifying the violin last time, it was made at the time of his birth by a powerful sage (not specifying who, or else I might get stuff thrown at me...maybe). It was imbued with the ability to amplify one's magic power with no side effects, so basically he can do the whole 'brought back from the dead' thing en masse without any bonds forming. However, it takes a toll on his body- really it just makes him reeeally tired. But as for how he still had it as a child...more of the story that I'm still trying to piece together in my head.

Whole lot of Eternal clarification in here, just so you know. Some of it's real supernatural stuff, but others are my own creation.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

Kay, I'm done for now.

* * *

_"__Grab him!"_

_"__No! Let me go!"_

_"__Ain't he a cutie? We could sell him for quite a bit, don't ya think?"_

_"__Let go!"_

_"__Augh! You little son of a-"_

_"__Mmp!"_

_"__Don't bruise him up too badly; he won't sell good like that."_

_"__Well, I'm about to make good use of that mouth of his if he won't stop screaming."_

_"__Would be good to shut him up, wouldn't it? I guess a little blood won't hurt."_

_"__No! No!"_

_"__Be a good little boy, and this won't hurt so much. Heh."_

_"__NOO!"_

"Rickard!"

The little prince woke up screaming; it took Radd a few minutes to calm him down.

"Hey, hey. It was just a dream," the swordmaster said quietly, rubbing the elder boy's back.

His breathing was shaky. He let out a short breath. "…I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for. Spirit's doing it to you."

"It's also because of Spirit that you have to suffer whenever this happens."

"No, it's because of Spirit I'm alive right now. What, are you saying you regret doing it?"

"No, no, it's not that." He looked up at the younger boy. "How did it even happen? You getting killed, I mean."

Radd hesitated before sighing. "It was from saving Julian. I thought things would end up turning out alright for you in the end, but…"

"Hey." Rickard clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be getting down about it. Sure, it didn't work out, but…at least it let me know the truth. I still have to thank you for that."

The redhead gave a small smile. "It was nothing." He stood up from the princeling's bed. "You want me to get Navarre- I mean, Lairen?"

The elder boy blushed lightly. "I really need to learn how to block my mind like Ascerae can…"

"I think it might be a little late for that now. But really, though, do you want me to?"

"…Please."

"I'll be back, then."

* * *

"So the mate thing really never turned out, then?"

Rickard sighed. "Nayxen, you know I don't like talking about it."

Xane had a look as if he had just been slapped in the face. "What's with calling me Nayxen? You very well know I don't like that name. It's been Xane since first life; if you're using my real name again, then you know there's something wrong."

"Or he's just cross with you for asking about things he really doesn't want to talk about," Navarre said, glaring at the freelancer, his arms crossed.

The dragon took a step back. "Yeesh, Lairen, tell me how you really feel."

"I just did."

"Sure, we'll go with that."

Roy put a hand on the little prince's shoulder. "You alright?" he asked.

The boy sighed again. "I'll be fine."

"Sucks though," Xane started again, leaning back against the wall, "you've had enough problems in the past with mates; this Julian guy's not making it any better."

Roy glared at him. "Nayxen, you really need to stop talking."

"What's with all the glares today?! Even from you, Aeris!"

The lordling looked to the door of the room. "Ascerae's coming. Apparently Radd's with him, too."

"Eh? You mean the kid Armeia brought back?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I can understand why, too. If he's bonded to Armeia, then he knows all about us. There's no point keeping him out of our conversations."

"Hm." The freelancer crossed his arms. "Of course, if Armeia could've blocked his mind, then he would have never known."

Rickard gave him a pointed look. "You're talking like I'm not sitting right here across from you."

"He's hardheaded and inconsiderate of others," Navarre said harshly, still glaring at the manakete.

"Am not!" he tried to protest.

Roy sighed. "Can we chill out here? You want Ascerae and Radd walking in on a cockfight or something?"

"What're you trying to imply, Aeris?!"

There was a little secret the teen was keeping, though, that Marth had insisted he stay quiet about. And that was that Julian was following the pair and Mhiken- not by choice, mind you- and was going to be left outside the room to hear the conversation.

"Stay here," Marth said to the elder teen, twisting the door handle, "and you'll finally know the truth."

The thief blinked at the order before nodding and leaning up against the wall so those in the room wouldn't take notice of him. He stepped close to the door once it had shut and peered into the keyhole, not expecting the elder prince to create the invisible wall like Roy had. But he did, and the teen jumped back and onto the floor, watching the engagement unfold.

"Hey," Radd said, plopping down in the seat on the other side of Rickard.

The little prince nodded to him. "Hey." He held his arms out for little Mhiken, who jumped up and settled curled up into his lap.

"So," Marth started, taking a seat across from Roy, "I think we may as well get down to business her-" He stared at Xane, who was standing behind the seat, apparently apprehensive of the brunet swordmaster. "Whaat do you think you're doing?"

"How 'bout you ask the son of Death right there?" he said, pointing to Navarre.

The elder blunet stared at him pointedly. "Sit. Down."

Fearing more of the lodestar than the swordmaster, Xane complied and sat down as far away from the teen as possible.

"That's better." He looked to Radd. "Getting down to business, Radd, I want you to tell me: what do you know about the Eternals from Rickard?"

Radd sighed lightly. "Well, I know that they're all children of the gods who were born between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. The name Eternal comes from the fact that their souls are eternal; they bypass the Selection System entirely, so there's never the possibility of them fading away. The children born after the Ancient War are called demigods because they don't possess abilities to the extent that the Eternals did." He paused for a moment. "I know that you and Rickard are the twin sons of the gods of creation and destruction, Ascerae and Armeia Sabre. Your elder brother, Miche, joined the side of the Underworld during the Ancient War, but as for the reason, I couldn't tell you."

Marth nodded slowly. "Correct. As far as I am aware, Armeia himself doesn't know." He looked to his brother. "Am I right?"

"…Yeah," Rickard said softly. "Do you?"

He sighed softly. "I didn't know if you'd really want to know, but knowing how you are, you probably do now." He leaned his head forward on his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. "It…was from a set of wrist braces. They were from the Underworld; they gave great power to the ones who wore them…at a cost. They took your blood in exchange for power. Someone could easily bleed their life out while they were using them. And they corrupted your mind. Miche wasn't evil. He never was. But he let the braces take over his mind, bit by bit, until you could hardly recognize him anymore, even with them off. …The kindhearted elder brother who used to comfort and care for us when we were small was gone. And we had, and still have, no idea how to get him back."

The room was silent for a moment, save for Mhiken quietly whimpering and scooting closer to the younger prince.

"…But that's enough depressing thoughts for the time being." The elder prince looked back to the boy. "Continue, please."

Radd hesitated. "But…after what you just said-"

"It's not as if moping about it is going to make things any better. Besides, this isn't about that." His eyes gleamed in a way to where only the gingered swordmaster noticed it. "And you know it."

The boy gave a slight nod. "Right…"

"To go back on the original topic," Xane started, "answer me this: do you know who the rest of us are?"

"…Yeah. You're Nayxen, son of the messenger of the gods. And it's clear you're not a fan of your original name because you've used the name Xane since your first lifetime. Navarre is Lairen, son of the God of Death…and Dark Lord of the skies."

Navarre nodded slowly. "Being a Dark Lord at one point in time isn't something I take pride in, you know."

The freelancer scoffed. "How do you think I feel, then? It happened to me before it did to you."

Radd turned to Roy. "And you're Aeris, son- well, in some lifetimes daughter- of the Goddess of Light. You're also the one with the power to seal the souls of the Dark Lords, when necessary. …And you're the prince's mate."

"Onto the subject of mates," Marth said, letting out a breath before continuing, "…Do you know who a boy named Rikha was?"

Rickard froze at the name, tightening his grip on Mhiken, who yelped before nipping at the younger prince to loosen his hold, which he eventually did.

The redheaded swordmaster hesitated for a moment. "…Do we really have to bring that up? You just said 'enough depressing thoughts'."

"…I just want to make sure you know why this mate problem with Julian is such a big one," the elder blunet said softly.

Julian, on the outside, blinked at what the elder prince had just said. "Mate…me? Is that why…?"

Radd bit his lip before speaking. "He was parts vampire, angel, and human, with wings that changed their shade from white to black depending on the amount of sunlight present; his father, Zion, became the world's most feared supernatural hunter."

Marth nodded slowly. "And do you know why?"

"…Because Rikha was killed at 17 by a demon."

"…Yes. This happened over 4,000 years ago. Rikha's soul had gone through its first Selection…and failed for no specific reason. …And Armeia hasn't had a mate since."

Roy leaned forward and tapped his chin. "You know, I really didn't think it was possible for there to be another mate for someone after the soul of the first one is lost."

"Right…" Xane agreed, leaning back. "I think this might actually be the first case of it happening, at least among the Eternals. Which reminds me…I know this really isn't that relevant right now, but did Lycen finally get one yet?"

Navarre scoffed. "You're really worrying about that right now? He's in Tellius; he's completely irrelevant at the moment."

"Calm down, fiery pants. You didn't need to make a huge deal about it. I was just curious, considering he's been around for 9,000 years and has yet to have a mate."

"He has, actually," Rickard said quietly. "I had spoken to him once in this life; he said his mate was the Tellian hero, and the one who saved his life as a child."

The freelancer gave him a pointed look. "Really?" He threw his hands up. "What's with everyone falling in love with heroes these days?! I mean, really!"

Roy chuckled. "Looks who's getting worked up now."

Radd blinked. "Um…he's the child of the Goddess of Wisdom, right?"

Marth nodded. "Yes, Lady Athena's son. Well, daughter on occasions. He's another Eternal with an un-gendered soul, like Aeris. And he certainly shows his heritage well; his tactics very rarely fail. There have only been two or three cases of such a thing since his first life 9,000 years ago."

"Wow. Wonder if Roshea will ever get that good."

"I wouldn't be surprised. That boy's a knack for morals and tactics, despite it only being his first life. It wouldn't be an understatement to call him a prodigious genius."

"…Or an Eternal."

Everyone looked at Rickard with that statement. "What are you talking about?" Navarre asked.

The little prince looked up. "I know I can't be the only one who's felt it. There's no way he can have such skill and only be human, or even a warlock like the other Aurelians are. There's more to it than that. I can feel it."

Roy tapped his chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, it's that way with Wolf, too. They feel more demon than warlock to me. But it's not nearly as...pronounced, I guess, as it would be for full-bloods. There's something else with Roshea, at that- something very familiar, but I can't place my finger on it."

"Angel, maybe?" Xane offered.

Navarre shook his head. "You know that wouldn't happen. An angel wouldn't get anywhere near a demon if they could help it, let alone have a child with them. And if Roshea is an Eternal like Armeia said, than that would imply that Hades is the father, which makes the chances all the less likely."

"But it is still possible, nonetheless," Marth said. "And if it really is the case, we could end up having quite a few problems. Hades never had an Eternal child. If Roshea is in fact son of the Underworld, what's stopping his father from taking control of his mind and making him easily the most powerful Dark Lord of all?"

"…There's no way that could happen," Radd said, though his voice gave away his uncertainty. "I mean, Roshea probably has the biggest morals out of anyone I've seen before. He hates the idea of killing people, even when he knows there's no other choice. He hates fighting unless it's absolutely necessary. He pretty much IS an angel. I just can't see him becoming evil like that."

The dragon sighed. "None of us can. But that doesn't change the fact that it could very well be possible. Of course, we have to confirm he's even an Eternal before we go worrying about the details, but you can't help considering the idea. And if he does become a Dark Lord, how would we be able to help him without sealing his soul like we've had to for Adsin, Elick, and Cimia? Think about it: I'm only sane because of Aisha, and Lairen only is because of Armeia. Is there anyone who could do that for Roshea?"

"…All of these questions we don't have answers for…" Roy said quietly.

Radd looked to Rickard and sighed lightly. "And we don't even know how to solve a simple case of heartbreak…"

Julian let out a breath and put his hand on the door. "Rickard…"


	7. Chapter 7

My gods, final chapter. Finally!

Anything to clarify from last chapter...nah, I think most of it was pretty straight-forward.

Forgot to mention, there's male pregnancy at the end...crap, I just spoiled things...

I'm sorry, I just end up getting random again...it's just normal me. And it should be refreshing after everything else. That's why I do it. And the line count part might be wrong because I uploaded this directly from Microsoft Word without changing the lines count number. So if it is, don't yell at me for it because of that.

_**I'm saying this right now, ANYONE use my Eternal ideas without my permission, and I will personally hunt you down. Don't really like threats, but I'm not about to have my ideas stolen like that. Almost didn't post this for that reason.**_

But I'm done with talking. Here you go.

* * *

"…I thought you had implied before we would never see each other again."

Julian simply sighed and moved towards Rickard, placing a hand on his cheek and lifting his face up to softly kiss him.

The prince let out a small breath and shook his head. "Okay, you really need to decide what you plan on doing here. One minute you're saying you're leaving forever, and then the next you're kissing me again. Make up your mind."

"I have." The elder thief wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and pulled him close. "…I shouldn't be so worried about other people's opinions. They're not the ones who matter in the end. It's you."

"…Is that what's been making you act like this? You're not one to be so self-conscious, Julian. It can't be that."

"It's not being worried about what others would think of me so much as what they would think of you."

Rickard scoffed lightly after a moment, returning the embrace and resting his head on the teen's chest. "You really think I care about that? So I'm a prince falling in love with a highwayman from the Ghoul's Teeth. So what? It's where I was raised. They can't tell me I'm not allowed to marry the person I've known and loved my whole life. They can't drag me away from you. …Not without me kicking and screaming, at least."

"…'your whole life'. And just how long are we talking about here, exactly, in regards to 'love-love' feelings?"

"Ohhh…about two, three years."

Julian paused before letting out a breath. "Hm. Radd was right, then."

The prince looked up. "About what?"

"A lot of things, really. But mainly that you're not too young to know what that type of love feels like." He looked down to his love and gave a sarcastic smile. "You know he and your brother have VERY good persuasive methods, right?"

The boy blinked before giving a playful smile. "Just proves you can never tick my brother off without it blowing up in your face. Literally."

"Oh, isn't that the truth."

* * *

"Mommy?"

Rickard turned to his daughter. "Yes, Eyra?"

"How did you and Daddy get together?"

"Yeah," Marion agreed. "How?"

The prince blinked at the twins before looking to his husband. "Um…should we?"

Julian chuckled lightly. "Hey, you were the one who said they understood a lot for eight-year-olds. But then again…"

"…some parts aren't exactly the best for eight-year-olds to know."

"Awwww…" Marion whined, bouncing on his feet. "Why not?"

Eyra cocked her head. "Is it bad stuff?" She gasped. "Did you do something bad to Mommy, Daddy?!"

The elder man cringed. "…Yeeeah, she'd understand it perfectly well. And it's not something I'd really want to hear about for the next few years."

Rickard giggled. "Well, I guess it's a bit of a life-lesson, isn't it?"

"Come on, you're not helping me here."

A knock came from the door; Eyra jumped up and cried, "I'll get it!" before dashing into the living room, Marion getting up and following right after.

The blunet smirked and kissed Julian on the cheek. "I guess Tomas with Luna and Nathan just saved you from being scolded by your own daughter."

Julian scoffed and took the younger man in his arms. "You're still a brat, even 16 years later; you know that, right? …And you know I still love you for it, don't you?"

His smirk turned into a warmhearted smile as his shared a long kiss with his love. "Oh, don't worry. I know."

* * *

**Courtney: **Oh my gods, finally! This is my longest story to-date. I wasn't even planning on making it this long; I just couldn't really think of a good way to end it without it sounding horrible and rushed in the end.

**Tomas:** It still does, even though you tried hard.

**Courtney:** You know what, go somewhere.

**Tomas:** Nah, I'm good.

**Courtney:** Ra-

**Tomas:** No no no no no don't you DARE get Radd on me again!

**Radd:** What about me?

**Courtney:** Get him out of here.

**Radd:** Don't you think we've done enough of that? I'm sure people are probably getting bored with it by now.

**Tomas:** Oh, sure, you're more worried about the audience's feelings than mine! Thanks for being such a good friend!

**Radd:** You're welcome.

**Tomas:** Grrr…

**Julian:** Is getting mad about it really going to change things?

**Jeorge:** Well, he certainly likes to think so.

**Tomas:** You people aren't helping!

**Marion:** Hey, Mom said you're the lady with the cookies!

**Julian:** Not now, Marion.

**Tomas:** Waaaait a minute. One: why are you a teenager while everyone else in this commentary are the ages we were eight years before you were even born?

**Courtney:** Minus me, because I have nothing to do with that. And it's because it's a lot easier talking with him while he's 15 than while he's eight. Same with Eyra.

**Tomas:** Oh. Whatever. And two: why are you calling Rickard "Mom"? He's a guy.

**Radd:** Even though the oldest he ever looks is, like, 14?

**Rickard:** That's mean.

**Radd:** Even though it's the truth?

**Rickard:** But still.

**Marion:** Uhhh…I don't know, force of habit? Paris does the same thing with his mom- …dad- …whatever.

**Courtney:** Well…yeah, Soren I can understand a lot more, but Rickard's still kind of feminine-looking at times.

**Rickard:** …You people are meany-faces.

**Courtney:** They should make the "man with feminist appearance" thing an archetype if they haven't already. Let's see-

**Marth:** No no no we're not doing this again like we did in the written version of this. The story is almost completely different, so the commentary should be as well.

**Jeorge:** …What did I miss in the written version?

**Tomas:** Basically, it was spent going on about archetypes.

**Courtney:** Well, some I pay more attention to than others. Like if I did a story involving your guys' kids, Eyra would kinda be the Merric Archetype, in a way, and Nathan would be Gordin.

**Marion:** What about me?

**Courtney:** …You're not one. 'Cause you're a whole new class. So is Luna.

**Marth:** Variation of the Bride class, I'm guessing?

**Courtney:** Yeah. Bows, staves, and since this is centered around the Eternals and Narcine and Larcie's main weapons are a scythe and a whip respectively, I was considering having something like that included and adding scythe to the class.

**Marion:** Woah woah woah I'm getting grouped with a girl class?!

**Eyra:** Not you! It's just for Luna.

**Marion:** …Oh. I knew that.

**Courtney:** You're a promoted Griffon Rider with a bow and an axe.

**Marion:** Sweet!

**Jeorge:** Someone actually decides to consider giving a bow to an aerial unit.

**Roy:** Well, you'd have to be skilled in order to do that. You could easily end up sniping your own mount's wings instead of your opponent's if you're not careful.

**Tomas:** That, and not many archers like heights…

**Roy:** Neither do mages, apparently. Soren, Erk, Merric, and Lilina all have a fear of heights.

**Marth:** Erk's fear I can understand, given his childhood. Merric and Lilina's are completely uncalled for, and I've no idea why Soren's that way.

**Xane:** Especially since with him it's only some of the time. Most of the time he's perfectly fine; other times, not so much.

**Julian:** What happened to make Erk like that?

**Marth:** Actually, it's very similar to what happened to Gregor: forced up a high tree by his step-father and not allowed to come back down for a while. It sounds ridiculous, yes, but that's how it is.

**Rickard:** …That reminds me that I wanted to go up to Ricken and tell him "Now you know how I feel" because he's always complaining about being short.

**Radd:** Isn't he taller than you, though?

**Rickard:** Exactly! He won't have anything to complain about once he sees me!

**Courtney:** He's being ungrateful; at least he's over 5 ft.

**Rickard:** See? She gets it! We can be official midgets together.

**Courtney:** …Meh.

**Tomas:** …Now everyone's ignoring me…

**Roy:** You had your time at the beginning of the commentary! Let other people talk!

**Tomas:** Personally, I think there's too many people here…

**Navarre:** You finally understand how I feel all of the time.

**Julian:** When did you even get here?!

**Rickard:** What are you talking about? He's been here the whole time.

**Jeorge:** Well, he is not one to talk, you know.

**Julian:** But still! To not even know he was there…

**Roshea:** A thief is supposed to ever be aware of their surroundings, Julian.

**Julian:** When did YOU get here?!

**Radd:** You sound like Sedgar when you say that. Which reminds me that you missed a pairing, Courtney.

**Xane:** In fact, you made it sound like there was a thing with Wolf and Astram.

**Courtney:** Oh, GODS no. That's something I'd never even want to THINK about, let alone WRITE about. SedgarXWolf all the way!

**Marth:** I assume this is leading to the disclaimers, then?

**Courtney:** Oh, right. This is all a jumbled mess; what do I even own here? Uhhmm…Eyra and Marion, for one thing. And just the name, Eyra, is one I came up with. Among others.

**Radd:** She owns the names Ascerae, Armeia, Miche, Nayxen, Rikha, Lairen, Aeris, Adsin, Elick, Cimia, Lycen, and Mhiken. She also owns the Eternals in general, their backstories and concepts, the Zion mentioned, and the idea that Mhiken is in the story. She doesn't own the existence of a Poochyena in general, though. Oh, yeah, and the wing-thing with Rikha. That was her idea, too.

**Courtney:** Woah. That's way more than I thought there would be…Anyways, the rest doesn't belong to me. If I did, there'd be a lot of pairings that there aren't in reality. Like JulianXRickard, CaesarXRadd, JeorgeXTomas, MarthXRoy…You get the point.

**Roy:** Didn't you say before you were going to do this thing between Roshea and-

**Courtney:** Ah ah ah no no no we're NOT talking about that here!

**Roshea:** …I should be worried, shouldn't I?

**Roy:** Depends. Are you straight?

**Roshea:** Yeeess…

**Roy:** Then yes, you should be very worried.

**Courtney:** *super death face*

**Roy:** Ah- Xb

**Marth:** Did you just kill Roy?!

**Courtney:** Unfortunately, not permanently. He'll be back when the commentary's over.

**Roshea:** Ummm…what were you planning on doing with me?

**Courtney:** You'll find out eventually…mwah-ha-ha-ha…

**Roshea:** …*sweat drop* I'm seriously worried now…

**Marion:** Can I get my cookie yet?

**Courtney:** I never even said you were getting one!

**Radd:** Oh yeah, forgot! She also doesn't own the Vampire Academy concepts of spirit and bondmates. There'd be a lot more references to it otherwise. Namely in the form of a hot Russian dhampir freelance guardian named Ivan. That's what happened to Lena, by the way. She's with him instead of Julian.

**Xane:** Considering Rickard was with him before Lena was…

**Julian:** No one's supposed to know about the middle part!

**Eyra:** What middle part…? What did you do, Father?!

**Julian:** I- Grr…XAAANNNEEE!

**Xane:** O-oh, umm…

**Julian:** *super death face*

**Xane:** Mmp- Xb

**Courtney:** No one steals my move!

**Julian:** Wha-

**Courtney:** *super death face*

**Julian:** Xb

**Rickard:** No, not my Juli!

**Tomas:** Can we, like, chill here? We've already got three "dead" people here; we don't need anymore.

**Jeorge:** I don't think trying to question her actions is a very wise thing to do here.

**Tomas:** Well, if I don't do it, who will?

**Jeorge:** Good point.

**Courtney:** Meh. I don't feel like doing it to you. Anyways, this whole story was a request from Brittany, so all of this madness falls on her.

**Brittany:** Wait, what?

**Rickard:** Brittany!

**Brittany:** Ricky!

**Radd:** Why is it that no one other than you can call him Ricky?

**Rickard:** Because she's the person who's the nicest to me.

**Navarre:** …

**Rickard:** Well, other than Lairen. And maybe Ascerae.

**Marth:** What do you mean, 'maybe'?

**Rickard:** W-well, um…

**Marth:** Armeia…

**Rickard:** See, this is exactly my point!

**Marth:** That's because I'm your elder brother. I have to be stern sometimes.

**Rickard:** But sometimes it's completely unnecessary…

**Roshea:** …I take it we're almost done here? I promised Erk I'd help him with something.

**Roy:** Y-

**Courtney:** You're supposed to be dead!

**Roy:** Nope. I come back on the 45th.

**Brittany:** 45th what?

**Roy:** Line.

**Rickard:** Does that mean my Juli's coming back?!

**Navarre:** Nayxen will come first, unfortunately.

**Tomas:** And then we'll have the whole zoo back…

**Courtney:** Well, I'll just close up before then.

**Marion:** Can I have my cookie, yet?!

**Courtney:** Meeehhhh! You're sounding like Reese!

**John:** Can I have one?

**Courtney:** UUUUGGGGGHHHHH!

**John: **What did I ever do to deserve this from you, Courtney? Huh?

**Marion:** But didn't you say I could have one?!

**John:** Huh?

**Marion:** Yeah, huh?

**Marth:** …I feel sorry for her.

**Xane:** I don't!

**Roshea:** Oh boy…

**Navarre:** Oh, it's you.

**Xane:** What's so wrong with me?!

**Julian:** I can name a few things…

**Xane:** Oh, not you!

**Rickard:** JULIII!

**Julian:** Wha- Waugh! Rickard…!

**Eyra:** Aww.

**Brittany:** …Should someone go help Courtney?

**John:** Huh?

**Marion:** Huh?

**John:** Huh?

**Marion:** Huh?

**Jeorge:** …Yes, we probably should.

**Tomas:** Before there's some nuclear explosion or something.

**Radd:** We should go then.

**John:** Huh?

**Marion:** Huh?

**Courtney:** GRRR…AAAGGGGGHHHHH!

**Marth:** Oh no.

**Roy:** Run for your lives!

**Radd:** Yup, we're definitely done. Bye!


End file.
